My brother was born 13.5 months after I was. So I was still “taking walks” by stroller when Grandma and Grandpa traveled from California to Ohio in January 1968 to be with us for his arrival.

Sadly, I don’t remember this moment.

Product/technique notes

I used this nice sketch from Stuck?! Sketches and papers from Crate Paper’s “Close Knit” and “DIY Shop” collections. I designed the title and cut it on the Silhouette Cameo. I also like to add a bit of hand stitching to cozy vintage layouts like this.

We rescued our beloved Oliver from a busy highway in 2002. He was a tiny kitten and sorely needed our help. But ever since whisking him out of harm’s way and bringing him home to live with us, we are the ones who have needed him. He has made us more loving people and brought us such great joy. Apparently, Oliver Longfellow Daquila-Pardo, you have rescued us.

Product/technique notes

All the Bo Bunny “Lovestruck” products I used to create this layout came from the Back Porch Memories February kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team through March). I designed the title and cut it with my Silhouette Cameo and hand stitched across the two pages to mimic the stitching and banners on the journaling card.

These photos are from my freshman year in college (the 1985-86 school year). On a cold Saturday during winter quarter a little group of friends decided to dig up some fun for ourselves, so we went in search of photo opportunities. We were fortunate and found this building on the edge of campus that had some interesting recyclables and a wall mural. We made the most of it!

In my experience, there’s nothing like the fun you create for yourself.

Product/technique notes

All the Echo Park “Anything Goes” products I used to create this layout came from the Back Porch Memories February kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team through March), and I followed this Rochelle Spears sketch.

Although we hit 69 degrees today in Austin, Texas, and I actually saw redbud trees starting to bloom, I didn’t grow up with such days in February! The winters of my childhood in northeast Ohio were cold and snowy, just as I think most kids would have it, if they had the choice. At least I liked it. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a few days of beautiful snow and blue skies now. But I probably can’t expect those any time soon, so I’ll just scrap photos of a time when I had them and be thankful that I did.

Product/technique notes

All the Authentique “Cozy” products I used to create this layout came from the Back Porch Memories February kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team through March), and I followed this Rochelle Spears sketch.

Happy Valentine’s Day to my dearest love and to all who celebrate this holiday.

Product/technique notes

All the Simple Stories “Hugs & Kisses” products I used to create this Valentine’s Day layout came from the Back Porch Memories January kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team for the next couple of months!). I followed this PageMaps sketch and used a Silhouette cut file for my title.

I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. And once I was old enough to start enjoying a nightlife with friends, it was the Flats in downtown Cleveland where we headed when we really wanted to party. Wikipedia says, “The Flats is a mixed-use industrial, entertainment, and increasingly residential area of Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The name reflects its low-lying topography on the banks of the Cuyahoga River.” It was rich with bars, restaurants and music venues.

When I recently came upon this photo of my mom and friends down in the Flats in the summer of 1990, I conducted a little Google search about the area to find out what it’s like now. I wanted to see how much the Flats had grown since I moved away. Much to my surprise, I read this: “The Flats’ heyday as an entertainment destination was short-lived. Three drowning deaths in one month in 2000, along with a city crackdown on fire and health code violations led to the closing of many bars. Patrons becoming scared off due to safety concerns led to a sharp decrease in business. While this was a boon for the redevelopment for the Warehouse District, the area just up the hill from the East Bank, it sent shock waves through the Flats’ redevelopment from which it has never fully recovered. Most of the East Bank has gone “dark” due to the number of businesses that have closed.”

Whoa. Not at all what I expected to read! I guess that’s what happens when you move away from an area and don’t really look back. Things happen without your knowing.

It’s too bad that things have changed so much in that area, but I still have great memories of time spent there. The peeps in my photo are: Mom, Mark Mathes, Hansel Moore, Phil (my baby bro) and Jenny Schwann.

Product/technique notes

All the Echo Park “Anything Goes” products I used to create this layout came from the Back Porch Memories February kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team through March). I followed this Rochelle Spears sketch and used a combination of Silhouette cut file and Thickers for my title.

Although love is big on all our minds in February anyway, I started thinking about the fact that because Matt and I originally met in February that gives us another great reason to celebrate love and life in addition to Valentine’s Day.

My journaling reads: “Some days creep up on you and change your life. Monday, February 5, 1996, was such a day for me. It’s almost more than I can get my head around how much life began to shift once Matt breezed into my office at UNC-CH’s Manning Hall that morning. Can that really have been 19 years ago?”

Product/technique notes

This clean and simple page came together so quickly, as it uses both sides of one piece of patterned paper (the stars at the top and the polka dots with heart embellishment at the bottom) plus a 6×4 card cut from another piece from that collection. Pop it all on a contrasting card stock background, add a pre-made chipboard frame for the title and you have a sweet page about love. All the Bo Bunny “Star Crossed” products I used to create this layout came from the Back Porch Memories February kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team through March).

My brother is a man of many passions. One of his current obsessions is The New Yorker magazine—its articles and history. While Phil visited us for the Christmas/New Year’s holiday, he read aloud to me a good bit of the book pictured here by James Thurber. Thurber was a cartoonist, author, journalist and playwright, best known for his cartoons and short stories that were published in The New Yorker magazine.

Because Phil was so “into” this topic while he was visiting, I asked him to let me take a photo of him reading the book. As soon as he sat down, as if on cue, Flash jumped up to read along with him! When I asked Phil what he thought I ought to title this page, he replied, “How about ‘The catbird seat,’ one of Thurber’s short stories.” Just purrfect!

Product/technique notes

Notice that I overlaid the title stickers in the “empty” space at the bottom of the photo. In this case, it worked quite well because the slope of my brother’s left leg and foot direct the viewer’s eye right to the title. So, the eye rests first on his face and the cat, then slides down the leg to the title and finally roams around the details of the circle grid to figure out how the patterned papers support my story. It helps connect everything.

I used patterned papers from BasicGrey’s “Oxford” and “Out of Print” collections and followed Let’s Capture Our Memories sketch #107.

This 1970 photo has always been a favorite of mine. I mean, get a load of that mane! I have worn my hair short for so much of my life now that a photo of me with wild and voluminous locks is rare indeed.

Of course, it’s also sweet because it’s unposed. From the look of things I was pretty engrossed in that book when my mom called my name and snapped this shot.

Product/technique notes

All the products I used to create this layout came from the Back Porch Memories January kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team for the next three months!). The pretty patterned papers are from Pink Paislee’s “Bella Rouge” collection, just perfect for a layout about a little girl.

]]>http://www.theconstantscrapper.com/sparkle-and-shine/feed/0Tutorial: Make a planner for the new yearhttp://www.theconstantscrapper.com/tutorial-make-a-planner-for-the-new-year/
http://www.theconstantscrapper.com/tutorial-make-a-planner-for-the-new-year/#respondMon, 19 Jan 2015 06:02:46 +0000http://www.theconstantscrapper.com/?p=6487If the raw potential of a new year makes you feel like planning, then you might want to make this mini album to use as a way of organizing yourself.

All the products I used to create this came from the Back Porch Memories January kit (thank you to BPM for allowing me to be a part of their design team for the next three months!). The patterned papers are from BoBunny’s “Souvenir” collection.

Here’s a view of the inside of the accordion album with pockets on every other page.

You will need:
3 pieces of 12×12 cardstock
1 piece of 12×6 patterned paper
12 4×3 pieces of patterned paper for the pockets

Tutorial

Score the three pieces of cardstock at 4 inches and 8 inches. Then cut each down into two 12×6 pieces. You will have six scored 12×6 pieces.

Accordion fold the scored pieces and glue them together by overlapping the end flap of each. This will create an album with 12 two-page spreads.

Put a thin line of glue around three sides of each 4×3 pocket and adhere them to every other panel, including the back side of the accordion. When you’ve completed this step, on each of the two-page spreads you will have a blank left panel and a pocket on the right panel.

Put a thin line of glue around the sides and bottom of each pocket.

Make the cover by scoring the 12×6 piece of patterned paper at 3.5 inches, 4.5 inches, 8.5 inches and 9.5 inches. Adhere one end of your accordion to the inside center of the cover.

Now decorate your cover and either tie a length of ribbon around the whole thing to close it or attach two buttons and wrap with twine, as I did.

My planner’s cover, decorated and secured with a button-and-string closure.

On the left panel of each spread you can make notes or adhere photos or a calendar. And the pocket panel can be used to stash memorabilia, more photos, etc. I think I’m going to use my album to plan layouts and blog posts! I hope your planner assists you in organizing your new year, too.

There’s just not much that’s cuter than a little birthday boy with his cheeks puffed up to blow out his candles.

Today is my baby brother’s birthday. To celebrate and show Phil that I’m thinking about him I created a layout featuring an adorable photo from his third birthday in 1971. God bless you, my sweet bro. Who could ever ask for better? I love you more.

Product/technique notes

I really liked this sketch from Creative Scrappers (and am quite sad that they are ceasing their sketch contests later this month), so I followed it for this page. The background paper is an older one from Sassafras Lass; the banner is from BasicGrey’s “Hey You;” and the rest of the papers and die cuts are from Crate Paper’s “Party Day” collection. I created the title with a combination of Silhouette shapes and my own lettering.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

In January 1993 I started on an adventure that would change my life, as most journeys manage to do.

Being unfulfilled in my job as a conference planner and taken with the idea of becoming a corporate trainer, I had applied over the summer for graduate school at my undergrad alma mater, Ohio University. In November (on my birthday, no less) I received word from the School of Communication that I had been accepted for late admittance and was being granted a fellowship! What a wonderful memory I have of opening that letter and bursting into tears at the happy news.

So I gave notice at work, finished out my time there and then packed up my belongings and headed south in my powder blue Geo Prizm to Athens, Ohio. The left photo is of me in my parents’ driveway, ready to begin my adventure.

My apartment wasn’t going to be ready in time for the winter quarter to begin, so my friends, Rich and Lori Ozmun, generously allowed me to roost with them for the first few weeks. The right photo is from the day I moved to my own place. Mom, Dad and Phil had come to Athens to help me with the move. That’s me; the Ozmuns; my brother, Phil; and the Ozmuns’ neighbor, Christian, who soon after this became my grad school boyfriend.

Going to graduate school really did change my life. My world expanded: I made wonderful friends, learned from leaders in the field and changed as you always do when you immerse yourself in something new.

Product/technique notes

I used patterned papers from BoBunny’s “Souvenir” line because I thought the travel theme worked so well for my personal journey story. All the products on this page are from the Back Porch Memories January kit, for whom I am guest designing for the next few months.

What a fabulous way to celebrate the cold Christmas season—riding in a horse-drawn sleigh to the sound of jingling bells!

I joined my parents and some of their friends in a freezing, spirited evening ride in a two-horse open sleigh back in December 1992. It was such a thrill to be living out the scenes we sing about in Christmas carols. We kept as warm as we could with blankets and laughter, and then ended the evening with steaming mugs of hot chocolate. This is such a magical Christmas memory.

Product/technique notes

I used this nice sketch from Stuck?! Sketches and papers from Little Yellow Bicycle’s “Winter Twig” collection. The title and one-horse open sleigh die cuts are from the Silhouette store. Puffy stickers are from SEI.

We have some Christmas parties to attend this weekend, so I thought I would try my hand at making some wine tags to adorn the bottles we took along. Here’s a tutorial based on what I learned while creating mine.

Tutorial

Cut base paper (I used cardstock, but it would look quite nice with patterned paper as well) to 3 x 10 inches.

Score base paper at 3 inches.

Cut patterned paper to 2.75 x 9.75 inches.

Don’t score the patterned paper yet; you want to wait until it’s lined up properly on the base paper so you know exactly where it needs to be folded. But I do recommend scoring a second time so that your project folds crisply. I’ll tell you when.

Notch the bottom of the patterned paper into a banner shape.

Lay the patterned paper on the base paper and cut the matching notch into the base paper.

Flip the base paper over and find the center of the 3-inch section by lightly drawing an X from corner to corner. This will ensure that you punch your bottle neck opening in the right spot.

At this point, because I use adhesive that isn’t hard to pull up, I adhered the two papers together so that I could punch them at the same time. Then I used a 1.25-inch circle punch to create the bottle neck opening.

Carefully pull up the patterned paper from the base paper and line up a 1.5-inch circle punch around the original hole to create the double ring effect. Glue the two papers back together.

Now put the project back on your scoring board and score again at 3 inches.

This photo was taken on Christmas morning circa 1971. My husband, at about the age of four, is the one gloriously outfitted in his new cowboy gear from Santa Claus. I really don’t have a clue what his younger brother, Nate, is doing. LOL!

I dare ya not to hear this title in the sing-song voices of the characters from the movie. I double-DOG-dare ya.

Product/technique notes

I followed the Creative Scrappers sketch below for this page because I really liked the idea that my patterned paper areas would look a lot like presents. The papers are from Pink Paislee’s “Snow Village” 6×6 pad. The colors and vintage feel of this line matched so well with that photo! And the puffy stickers are from SEI. I designed the title and cut it on the Cameo, and the pine branches are part of a Silhouette cut file.

Have you seen the hilarious images online that show a perfect Martha-Stewartesque project alongside someone else’s wonky attempt to recreate it, labeled with just the words “Nailed it?”

Today’s layout tells my own “nailed it” story.

It was the Thanksgiving of 1994—our first since moving to Chapel Hill, NC—and my 28th birthday. Mom and Dad were hosting the holiday, which included Aunt Mary Lou and Earl from Pennsylvania in addition to our family of four. Just days before turkey day Mom had the brilliant idea of holding a pie-baking contest between Phil and me, which was a clever way of getting out of baking the desserts herself.

The gauntlet had been thrown down. Tensions were high as the two of us went to work looking up recipes and making shopping lists for our entries in the contest. Phil decided to go with the always popular (and a bit too obvious, in my opinion) pumpkin pie, while I fearlessly chose to try a new-to-me recipe for peach chiffon pie. I felt confident but nervous.

Aunt Mary Lou and Earl arrived. Everyone was excitedly catching up and in the good spirits of the holiday. Phil had already baked his contest pie, and it was my turn.

Now, those of you who only know me online won’t really understand unless I tell you just how much I like to talk. I am a TALKER. So while I was putting together the all-important pie crust, Aunt Mary Lou parked herself just to the end of the counter where I was working, and we talked. A lot.

I suspect that chemists don’t chat while they’re mixing chemicals, but that’s just a hunch born of my experience on that fateful Thanksgiving Day. At the very least I can conclude that were I a chemist, I should keep my mouth shut while measuring ingredients for my experiments. Are you picking up what I’m putting down here?

I put my crust in to bake and began the task of mixing the silky, sweet, peachy filling—which would be added to the crust and then baked again. At the appointed time I checked on my crust, but I was surprised to find that it hadn’t browned. At all. So I gave it a little more time. But extra time and high temperatures had no effect on the color of my crust. I finally shrugged off this bump in the road, took the pale crust out of the oven, added the filling and popped it back in for its second round of baking.

My confidence at taking home the blue ribbon remained unshaken at this point.

Fast forward to the end of the day’s feast. To a bit of fanfare Mom brought out the ballots and explained to the judges the categories upon which they should score the entries (appearance 10%, filling & crust 40% and overall flavor 50%). Phil and I were asked to cut and serve our pies after the judges had been given the opportunity to rate the appearance of each. Once everyone at the table had been served, the room quieted for the first bites.

My nerves did not allow me to take a taste right away; I was more interested in watching for the reactions of the judges. So I didn’t immediately understand why the room remained eerily quiet as they all chewed. Earl’s face reddened noticeably. Mom and Dad shot questioning glances at each other. Phil choked and spat out his mouthful. And Spenser the schnauzer hid under the couch after willingly taking the bit of crust Earl had offered him. But it was Aunt Mary Lou who finally broke the silence by blurting an expletive. And then pandemonium reigned. Everyone gagged and gasped and shouted over each other. They laughed. And laughed some more. I was crestfallen but finally took a tiny bite of my own pie. Oh myyy.

I had obviously switched the measurements for the salt with the sugar. The extra salt had kept the crust from browning on the first baking. And then it leached up into the peach chiffon filling during the second baking. What a fiasco—but a very funny one.

Of course, Phil won the contest. Whatever. He can have the blue ribbon. Because I have the honor of being the reason for one of the funniest family stories we have. To this day we still refer to that year as our Salt Pie Thanksgiving.

NAILED IT!

Product/technique notes

I followed sketch 281 from Creative Scrappers and mainly used products from October Afternoon’s “Apple Cider” line. I created my title using the Silhouette and used several stickers from the Carta Bella “Homemade with Love” kit.

For a three-legged cat, Jake certainly knows how to get where he wants to go. In this case, I guess he wanted to be in the middle of my fall decorations!

He really is the cutest pumpkin ever, isn’t he?

I decided to scrap this photo during the week of Thanksgiving because it reminds me of how thankful we are for our pets. They love to be with us. They’re such good companions. They make us laugh. And they keep us from focusing too much on ourselves.

They’re our babies, and I’m ever so grateful to have them in our lives.

Product/technique notes

Most of the products I used on this were from Echo Park’s “Reflections: Fall” collection, with the addition of a few pieces of paper from way back in the day. That butter-colored pumpkin paper is an oldie from Paper Salon. I followed the inspiration of this November sketch from Stuck Sketches:

We all have certain techniques that especially catch our eye when they’re used on a layout, and for me paper folding is one of them.

I seem unable to pass up a closer look at a page with folds! So to add a little extra dimension and personality to my page I incorporated a faux quilting folding technique into my design. If you want to see more details about creating this look, I have a tutorial in an older post for a layout that uses the same technique.

For my 11th birthday in 1977 Mom and Dad let me have a slumber party with a few friends: Jill Trzaska, Renee Poplik and Margaret Wissman. One of my fun memories from this night is when we performed a song-and-dance routine for my family (bottom photo). We called ourselves “The Oreos” because of the plastic Oreo party favor necklaces we all wore. Pretty clever, eh?

Product/technique notes

The products on this page all came from the November Back Porch Memories kit and are from American Crafts’ “Shimelle” line. I created the title on the Silhouette and designed it to incorporate the record die cut from the kit as the O.

As November’s guest designer for Back Porch Memories, I was asked to use a sketch from PageMaps to create one of my layouts. These supplies are mostly from Heidi Swapp’s September Skies collection.

It’s no surprise that I’m feeling like documenting some of the things I am grateful for in my life. My friendship with my baby bro certainly qualifies!

We have developed an awful lot in common over our lives together and always find something to keep ourselves entertained. For instance, these photos came about because we both love photography, and so we had a camera along with us at the mall one day this summer. While we waited for Mom to finish up in a store, we held an impromptu portrait session on the overstuffed chairs in the middle of the mall. What can I say? The lighting wasn’t too bad, and we are a couple of hams!

Product/technique notes

Following is the sketch I followed for this page. Most of the supplies are Heidi Swapp “September Skies,” with some Shimelle thrown in for good measure.

Once I had completed layouts with all the patterned paper in this month’s Back Porch Memories kit, I used the scraps to create something pretty for our home. Here’s how I turned my offcuts into a colorful seasonal wall hanging.

The tutorial

My final project will be 8×8 inches, so I started by cutting down a sheet of cardstock to that size. This will be the base for my design. Then gather all the patterned paper remnants together.

Cut 3-4 ¼-inch strips from each.

Apply your adhesive of choice (I used a tape runner) liberally to the base. Begin laying down strips on the diagonal, butting each snugly against the last so there’s no cardstock showing through.

Fill the whole base with strips. Cut off the excess.

Cut out your chosen overlay design from black cardstock, either with a digital die cutter or by hand. For my project I chose a fall-themed design from the Silhouette store, sized it to 7.25 inches and centered it within an 8-inch square before cutting. I suggest the design you choose should both work well as a silhouette and fill a good bit of your square. That way lots of the patterned paper can show through.

Adhere the silhouette to the patterned paper (I used repositionable adhesive so I can change out the design later). If there are any inner pieces to the design, as there were in mine (under the maple leaf, down the centers of the side leaves and on the acorn), adhere those as well so that the design “makes sense” to the eye.

What I think is so great about this project is that it allows you to use scraps of paper that you love in a completely new way, but it doesn’t use very much of it so you still have lots left for making cards, mini albums or cards for your pocket scrapbooks—however you usually put your scraps to work.

I can also see myself using this as a go-to seasonal home decoration. I can either cut out a different silhouette design and lay it over these same strips or use scraps from another kit to create a new background as well!

My Mind’s Eye has issued a challenge to create a page about gratitude, and I am certainly grateful for these three women.

Friends are such a blessing.

I met these women when I became an officer in the Ladies’ Club at church last year. Luanne, Debbie and Janet are just the nicest, most loving people, and I’m happy to count them as friends.

Product/technique notes

I created this page using products from the My Mind’s Eye “Indie Chic,” “Quite Contrary,” “Now and Then: Dorothy,” “Follow Your Heart” and “Vintage Nostalgia” collections. I created the title work on my Silhouette and followed this sketch from Paper Issues.

]]>http://www.theconstantscrapper.com/three-of-my-many-blessings/feed/0You may have the universe if I may have Italyhttp://www.theconstantscrapper.com/you-may-have-the-universe-if-i-may-have-italy/
http://www.theconstantscrapper.com/you-may-have-the-universe-if-i-may-have-italy/#respondThu, 13 Nov 2014 21:18:00 +0000http://www.theconstantscrapper.com/?p=6274

I am proud to be guest designing this month for Back Porch Memories, and this layout features part of their November kit and photos of my grandparents from 1967.

My paternal grandmother was a first-generation American born to Italian parents, and my grandfather (her second husband) was born in Italy. So it was a very big deal when, in August 1967, they took a long-awaited trip to Italy together. They saw Italy, but more importantly they reconnected with family they hadn’t seen in many years. Papa was separated from his brother when they were young boys—one sent to America and the other to France—and this was to be their only reunion.

I took my title from a quote attributed to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, who was responsible for many of the greatest operas of the 19th century, including Il trovatore, La traviata, Un ballo in maschera, Don Carlos, Aida and Otello.

Product/technique notes

The November Back Porch Memories kit includes papers from Imaginisce’s “Perfect Vacation” line, which worked so well with these vintage 1960s photos of my grandparents leaving on their big adventure. Every part of this layout is from the BPM kit, plus I cut the title on my Silhouette.

In my opinion, there’s no better way to celebrate and appreciate the wonder of the fall season than to be out in nature.

In Austin, Texas, there are often whole autumn seasons that are rather colorless. We don’t have a lot of the types of trees that change color in a bold way. Add to that the fact that many of our summers are too dry to offer the right conditions for great color change in the ones that can.

But we are fortunate to be only a few hours from Lost Maples State Natural Area, where there is a combination of steep limestone canyons, springs, plateau grasslands, wooded slopes and clear streams. It features a large, isolated stand of uncommon Uvalde bigtooth maple, whose fall foliage can be spectacular.

Each fall I track the fall foliage reports offered on the park’s website, and Matt and I try to make the trip (thought it doesn’t always happen, as it is about three hours’ drive). The photos on this layout are from November 2013. It was a perfect day to go on the strenuous five-mile hike to see the colors and take photos. What a great way to get out of town and revel in the beauty of nature!

Product/technique notes

The background paper is from the Fancy Pants “Happy-Go-Lucky” collection, and the other patterns are from October Afternoon’s “Apple Cider.” I embellished with stickers from Echo Park’s “Reflections Fall” and “Fall Fever” collections and added some hand stitching to bring out the turquoise in the patterns.